Utah Since Statehood
Author is Noble Warrum - 1919

WILLIAM VAN ALEN.

The name of William Van Alen long figured prominently in connection with the ranching, fruit raising and canning interests of Weber county. He was a man of keen business discrimination and sound sagacity and after carefully formulating his plans put forth every energy for their successful accomplishment. As the years passed he prospered in his undertakings, becoming a leading figure in business circles in Ogden and in fact throughout northern Utah. He was a western man by birth and had the benefit of eastern training. The opportunities of the west, however, lured him back to this section of the country and in their utilization he won an honored name and place, causing his death to be the occasion of deep and widespread regret when he was called from this life.

Mr. Van Alen was born in Marin county, California, December 13, 1863. His father, John Van Alen, a native of New York, was a representative of an old Dutch family long established in America. On leaving the Empire state John Van Alen crossed the continent to California, there casting in his lot with its early settlers.  William Van Alen was but three years of age when the family home was again established in New York. They settled at Newburgh on the Hudson and he largely pursued his education in the schools of Albany, New York. He then continued in the east until he had attained his majority, when he returned to the Golden state, there living for about two decades. The year 1904 witnessed his arrival in Utah, where he took over the management of the Wasatch Orchards Company, with which he continued until he became president of the Van Alen Canning Corporation. He and his brother were men of means and purchased a ranch and fruit farm in Sonoma county, California, which eventually led William Van Alen into the canning business as an outlet for his products. The excellence of the canned goods soon found for them a ready sale on the market and the business steadily and continually increased. The Van Alen Canning Corporation had as its president Mr. Van Alen of this review, with Mrs. E. L. K. Van Alen as the vice president, W. F. Rudiger as secretary and treasurer and Thomas Leslie, manager. The company still owns a large plant at No. 148 West Twenty-first street in Ogden and another plant at Tremonton, Utah, which was erected in 1917, and Mrs. Van Alen is active in the management and control of the business. Mr. Van Alen was a member of the California Fruit Canners Association and was keenly interested in all , that had to do with the development of the industry in the west. 

On the 18th of February, 1904, Mr. Van Alen was married to Miss Eve Kuhn, a native of Iowa, their marriage, however, being celebrated in New York. Mrs. Van Alen is a daughter of Mark and Cordelia (Colton) Kuhn and a lady of splendid business qualifications as well as many attractive womanly attributes.

Mr. Van Alen belonged to the Weber Club and was also prominent in fraternal circles. He had membership in the Elks Lodge, No. 719, of Ogden and he attained high rank in Masonry, taking the degrees of lodge, chapter and commandery and also crossing the sands of the desert with the Nobles of El Kalah Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Salt Lake City. He greatly enjoyed fishing and was fond of nature in every phase. He possessed a very high sense of honor, was a broad-minded man of liberal and kindly spirit and wherever known was held in the highest esteem. He thoroughly enjoyed home life and took great pleasure in the society of his family and friends. He was always kindly, courteous and affable and those who knew him personally had for him warm regard. A man of great natural ability, his success in business from the beginning of his residence in Ogden was uniform and rapid. As has been truly remarked, after all that may be done for a man in the way of giving him early opportunities for obtaining the requirements which are sought in the schools and in books, he must essentially formulate, determine and give shape to his own character, and this is what Mr.  Van Alen did. He persevered in the pursuit of a persistent purpose and gained a most satisfactory reward. His life was exemplary in all respects and he ever supported those interests which were calculated to uplift and benefit humanity, while his own high moral worth was deserving of the highest commendation. His demise occurred on the 16th of July, 1918.

FREDRICK W. WALKER.

Fredrick W. Walker, serving for the past fifteen years as engineer of the Amalgamated Sugar Company at the Ogden plant, was born in West Weber, Utah, in 1872, a son of Samuel Walker, a native of Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, and Sarah (Dixon) Walker, also of England. In 1861 Samuel Walker came to the new world and established his home in Salt Lake City, Utah, where about 1865 he wedded Sarah Dixon. Soon afterward he removed with his bride to West Weber, where he engaged in farming through the summer seasons and In the winter months devoted his attention to work at the tailor's trade, which he had learned in early life. He was also prominent in the construction of the West Weber canal and he was recognized as one of the stalwart champions of the cause of public education. He served as school trustee for several years, at which time the people of the community built a schoolhouse and employed a teacher through donations made by the enterprising and public-spirited citizens.  Eventually, however, the school building was turned over to the county without remuneration. Mr. Walker was also prominent in the work of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and passed away in that faith, February 14, 1905.

Fredrick W. Walker acquired his education in the district schools and on attaining his majority began herding sheep, to which work he devoted his energies for twelve years. He then entered the employ of the Amalgamated Sugar Company at the Ogden plant and has been thus connected with the business for fifteen years, occupying the responsible position of engineer at the present time. His long connection with this corporation indicates most clearly his efficient work and his fidelity to the interests which he represents.

On the 9th of September, 1903, Mr. Walker was married to Miss Margaret Ann Hipweel, a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Barton) Hipweel, both of whom were natives of England. Mr. and Mrs. Walker had five children: Delia; Samuel F. ; Margaret L., who is deceased; William Leland; and Lizzie.

Mr. Walker remains an earnest worker of the church and has been counselor and also assistant Sunday school superintendent in the Wilson ward. On the 10th of January.  1914, lie was appointed bishop and filled that position for three years. He was also health officer for several years and he is interested in every measure or project that has to do with the material, intellectual, social and moral development of the community in which he makes his home.

LORENZO WARD.

Lorenzo Ward, who carries on general farming and stock raising at North Ogden, where he was born in 1877, is a son of James and Harriett Ward. His youthful days were largely devoted to the acquirement of an education in the schools of North Ogden and in the Weber Academy at Ogden, which he attended for one term. In young manhood he filled a mission to Australia covering twenty-six months, after which he returned to North Ogden. where he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Barker, a daughter of Newman H. and Esther (Chadwick) Barker. They have become the parents of five children, namely: Nellie, Harold, Naomi, James and Lagrand. All are living with the exception of James.

Mr. Ward devotes his time and energies to the development of a good farm property He now owns and cultivates one hundred and twenty-three acres of land which has been divided into fields of convenient size and is well irrigated. The entire tract is now under cultivation and he is winning substantial success as a general farmer and stock raiser. He has good grades of stock upon his place and his fields annually produce large crops by reason of his progressive and practical methods. In addition to his work as a farmer he is active in the work of the church and is now first counselor to Bishop Barker. Mr. Ward is widely and favorably known in the district in which almost his entire life has been passed and he has a circle of friends almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintance.

LELAND R. WATT1S

Leland R. Wattis, head of many business enterprises which feature as factors in the material development of the state, is a native son of this commonwealth, where he has made a most creditable name and position. He was born at Ogden, Utah, May 26, 1882, a son of Edmund O. and Martha A. Wattis, both of whom are natives of Utah, the father having been born at Uinta, while the mother's birth occurred at Riverdale.

Their respective parents were among the pioneer settlers of the state, having crossed the plains with ox teams during the period of early colonization here. In young manhood the father turned his attention to live stock raising and later with his brother, W. H., formed the Utah Construction Company, of which he is vice president and general manager. This concern has handled some of the largest contracts in the west. The Arm is also very extensively engaged in stock raising, operating ranches in Utah, Idaho and Nevada. E. O. Wattis is president of the Wattis Coal Company, director of the Lion Coal Company and director of the Amalgamated Sugar Company. He and his wife reside in Ogden, where they occupy a large and attractive residence. They became the parents of eight children, one of whom has passed away, while those living are: Leland R., of this review; Mrs. William Harris, of Ogden: and Mrs. Ethel Kimball, Mrs. E. A. Littlefield, Mrs. Margaret Dumpke, Mrs. Ruth Williams and Paul, all of whom are residents of Ogden.

Leland R. Wattis received his education in the public and high schools of Ogden, after which he entered business college. When his textbooks were put aside he became an employee of his father In railroad construction work and acquainted himself with the various phases of the business in the six years in which he was connected with his father's company. He then resigned his position and organized the L. R. Wattis Construction Company, of which he has since been the president and manager. This company concentrates upon railroad building. The extent of their contracts necessitates the employment of many men and their energies are most carefully and wisely directed, bringing substantial success. Leland R. Wattis is also the president of the Wattis-Samuels Construction Company, another firm of general contractors; is the president of the Caldwell Construction Company; president of the Hieslet Construction Company and, in addition to his operations along construction lines, he has become equally well known as an operator in the coal fields of the west. He is vice president and general manager of the Wattis Coal Company and was also one of the organizers of the Carbon Fuel Company. The mines of these two companies are located in Utah and are now being extensively operated, the production of coal being very large. 

On the 16^th of January, 1900, in Oxford. Idaho, Mr. Wattis was married to Miss Helen Crandall, a daughter of Mrs. Emma Crandall of that place. They have one child, Edmond O., who was born in Ogden, Utah, in 1902 and is now attending St. John's Military Academy. Politically Mr. Wattis maintains an independent course nor has he ever been an office seeker. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and in fact is a well known and prominent Knight Templar and thirty-second degree Mason as well as Shriner. He also belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, to the Weber Club of Ogden and to the Alta Club of Salt Lake.

WARREN LAFAYETTE WATTIS.

Warren Lafayette Wattis, sixth child of Edmund and Mary Jane (Corey) Wattis, has achieved prominence both as a writer of note and as an executive in industrial and financial affairs. He was born at the old pioneer family home in Uinta, November 23, 1865. He attended the country school of that period, also working on the farm.  The death of his mother occurred in 1881. His two brothers in that year had a small grading outfit at work on the Oregon Short Line and in August he engaged as teamster, going up to the grading camp near Montpelier, Idaho. An interesting coincidence later developed when over thirty years afterwards, as general superintendent for the Utah Construction Company which he helped to organize, he was in direct charge of a series of improvements over the entire Oregon Short Line system and had occasion to construct additional trackage parallel to the stretch which he helped to build with mules and scraper in that earlier day.

The following few years, after his start at grading work, he worked in the same capacity on the Oregon Short Line and the Northern Pacific, returning to Ogden each winter for a few months' schooling at the School of the Good Shepherd, located where the government building now stands. In 1884, believing that his school days were over, he went with a railroad grading outfit to British Columbia, working on the Canadian Pacific west of the Rockies till near Christmas. Having earned a few hundred dollars, he started back home for more schooling but could not in the dead of winter follow the old trail back south through Montana and Idaho and therefore traveled to Winnipeg and then to St. Paul. He decided to take his three months' schooling there instead of returning fifteen hundred miles to Utah. This proved a rather important decision, as he became so interested in the studies there that he entered the high school and returned each autumn from railroad grading work in Canada or Colorado, finally graduating in 1888. He also did some special work at the University of Minnesota and had one year at Cornell University at Ithaca before returning west and resuming construction work. While at Cornell he entered a nation-wide contest arranged by The Youth's Companion for short story writing and won the first prize, one thousand dollars, for the best story of adventure. This story was called "On the Brink" and dealt with an imaginary experience of a locating engineer in the wilds of the Selkirk mountains. This story has been followed at irregular periods by others published in The Youths Companion. Among the best known of his published short stories may be mentioned: "Chased by a Shadow;" "The Boom at Bullionville;" "Crowfoots Orders;" "The Persistent Panther;" "Fooling a Coyote;" "A Sego Lily;" "The Other Moon." After the panic of 1893 the young man accepted a position as manager of the Ogden department of the old Salt Lake Herald and held the position for ten years, when he returned to devote all his time with the Utah Construction Company, with which concern and its predecessors he had maintained a connection as secretary and treasurer. In 1900, while still with the Herald, he made a visit to England and several of the countries on the Continent.

In 1902 he married Miss Veda Kay Littlefield, granddaughter of the founder of Kaysville. There are three girls and two boys: Veda Florence; Lorene and Lorna, twins; Warren Littlefield and Lloyd David.

Although he retained his home in Ogden, his work for about ten years with the Utah Construction Company required that he live temporarily at other places in New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon and Idaho. Early in 1917 his associates acquired the Utah National Bank of Ogden. Soon afterwards its executive officer, Ralph E. Hoag, suddenly died and Mr. Wattis was within a few months designated to take charge. The institution continued to grow and succeed and he has remained in the position as active vice president and manager. He retains his position with the construction company and also, in connection with the hank duties, became secretary and managing agent of the Evona Investment Company, a New Jersey corporation owned by English investors.  During the war he was a member of the State Council of Defense and of its executive committee; was also chairman of the Civilian Relief and Home Service sections of his county chapter of the Red Cross. He is a member of the Weber Club and its auxiliary organization, the Ogden Publicity Bureau, and in 1919 was the president of these two important organizations. He is a thirty-second degree Mason, Knight Templar and Noble of the Mystic Shrine and also a member of the Masonic, University and Country and Ogden Tennis and Bear River Duck Clubs of Ogden. In politics he is a republican.

JOHN H. WHEELWRIGHT.

John H. Wheelwright is a dealer in wood and proprietor of the Transit feed yard, a corral at No. 2348 Hudson avenue, in Ogden. He was born April 22, 1882, in the city in which he still makes his home. He is a son of M. H. and Annie (Thompson) Wheelwright.

The father was also a native of Ogden and a son of the late Mathew B. Wheelwright, who came to Utah during the early colonization of the state. He was a native of England and on  coming to the new world crossed the continent to Ogden, where he took up his abode in 1852. There he resided throughout his remaining days and followed the millwright's trade. He was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served on two missions in England. He was widely recognized as a man of influence in various connections and his natural and acquired ability well qualified him for a position of leadership. M. B. Wheelwright was reared and educated in Ogden and during his active business life followed stock raising and farming.  His interests along that line were wisely, carefully and profitably conducted and he is now living retired, enjoying the fruits of his former toil. He, too, is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints and he makes his home in Ogden, where he is enjoying a well earned rest. Annie (Thompson) Wheelwright was born at Bountiful, Utah, a daughter of William Thompson, one of the pioneer settlers of Weber county and subsequently a resident of Cache county. She died in Ogden in 1890.

John H. Wheelwright was the eldest of a family of five children, three sons and two daughters, all of whom are yet living. The public schools of Ogden accorded him his educational privileges and when he was a youth of seventeen years he made his initial step in the business world. Since then he has depended entirely upon his own resources for material advancement. He was employed by the Wheelwright Brothers, in which firm his father and uncle were partners. They were dealers in wood, conducting a business that had been originally started by the grandfather in the year in which the Rio Grande Railroad was built to Ogden. about 1882. This was the first established business of the kind in the city and was then located where the city hall now stands, at the corner of Twenty-fifth and Washington streets, with offices where the Broom Hotel is now located. Since 1914 John H. Wheelwright has owned the business, which he has continuously and successfully conducted, having the only enterprise of the kind in the city. He purchases his wood from the United States government, obtaining it from the forests in the Loragee and Teton basins of Idaho. He has a large trade in wood and in addition he conducts a corral, known as the Transit feed yard.

On the 16th of December, 1903, Mr. Wheelwright was married in Salt Lake to Miss Mary M. Roman, who was born in Ogden, a daughter of Daniel B. and Gertrude (Trubuggen) Roman. Her father was a pioneer farmer at Rosedale, Utah, and the mother was a member of an old Ogden family. To Mr. and Mrs. Wheelwright have been born five children, three sons and two daughters, Lance, Ralph, Dorothy, Howard and Virginia. The family resides at No. 2435 Quincy street. The religious faith of the family is that of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the political endorsement of Mr. Wheelwright is given to the republican party.

JOHN L. WILSON.

The history of John L. Wilson of Ogden is an interesting one in that his record is that of a self-made man. He started out to earn his living when a little lad of but six years. Today he is one of the successful horticulturists of Ogden, selling fruit at both wholesale and retail and conducting a business of gratifying proportions.  Mr. Wilson is a native of Scotland, his birth having occurred October 20, 1853. in Ayrshire, which county was also the home and birthplace of Robert Burns. His parents were Benjamin and Mary (Bell) Wilson. The father came to the new world in 1867. making his way to Ogden, where he worked on the Union Pacific Railroad and was present at "the time of the driving of the golden spike which united the two sections of the road that had been built from the east and from the west until they were joined in Utah. Mr. Wilson afterward sent to Scotland for his wife and four sons, who made their way to the new world in 1869. One of the sons was in the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company for thirty-six years. Mrs. Wilson and three of her sons, including John L. Wilson of this review, were passengers on the first train to reach Ogden from the east, but a railroad wreck occurred at what has since been known as the Alma switch. In the wreck Mrs. Wilson and her son, John L., sustained injuries for which they were paid two thousand dollars. This the husband and father invested in property on Twelfth street in Ogden and then turned his attention to fruit raising, providing a comfortable living for the family in this way.

John L. Wilson acquired his early education in the schools of Ogden and with the exception of a brief period has always remained upon the old homestead, where for a number of years he has made a specialty of fruit production. He has in the home place seventeen and a half acres of rich and valuable land, largely devoted to orchard. He raises apples, peaches and cherries, together with all kinds of small fruit, and is now planning to purchase twenty-five acres more, so that he can enlarge the scope of his activities in fruit raising. He sells to the wholesale and retail trades and his business brings to him a substantial financial return.

In 1878 Mr. Wilson was married to Miss Ellen L. Moore, a daughter of Bishop David and Sarah (Barker) Moore. Her father was a native of Canada, while her mother was born in England, and they came to the west with the early pioneer settlers of Utah. Mr. Moore was one of the earliest settlers of Weber county and was the first recorder of Ogden. Through his untiring efforts and labor among the Indians he avoided serious trouble for the early settlers, preventing a massacre. He in company with other Mormon settlers, was the first to construct an irrigation system in what is now the state of Idaho. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have become parents of eleven children They lost one child at the age of seven years. The children are: David Benjamin: Franklin C, who has passed away; John L. Jr.: Sarah G., teacher of art in the public schools of Ogden; Walter Leroy, who is employed in the Ogden Savings Bank; Mary Ellen, the wife of Ernest R. McKay, of Huntsville, Utah; Catherine B., the wife of C. O.  Peterson of Ogden; Wealthy May, at home; Howard R., who is in the United States army; Wilford E., who is a clerk with the Oregon Short Line; and Marion Lewellyn, a student. The son Walter Leroy served as a member of Company 24, Sixth Battalion.  166th Depot Brigade, and was located at Camp Lewis, in the intelligence department.  on special duty during the period of the war. C. O. Peterson was also in the service and is now located at Ogden. Howard R. joined the United States army on the 8th of December, 1917, and was mustered out in February, 1919 after serving as a member of Company E of the Eighth Division of the Motor Supply Corps.

The religious faith of the family is that of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in the work of which they have taken an active and helpful interest. Mr. Wilson has served as teacher in the Sunday school and has been associated with Bishop James Taylor in the old Mound Fort ward. He was also ward clerk for twelve years and in the bishopric for nine years. At the division of the wards he labored with Bishop M. L. Jones, up to the reorganization of the bishopric. He has also been a member of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association and was the first president of the Mound Fort ward. His son, David Benjamin, spent three years on mission work in Germany. John Leslie was for thirty months in the mission field in England and Walter L. went to Scotland on a mission that covered two and a half years. In politics Mr. Wilson is a republican and at all times keeps well informed concerning the vital political problems and issues of the day but has never been an office seeker.  Mr. Wilson has every reason to be proud of the record of his family. Aside from the good work which his sons have done in the church and in the army, his daughter Mary Ellen, now Mrs. McKay, is a teacher of sewing and Mrs. Peterson has been a teacher in primary and kindergarten work. She is a graduate of the schools of Salt Lake City and of California. Mr. Wilson's entire career has been characterized by progress, for at the age of six years he began working in the mines of Scotland, his father being allowed quarter pay for his services. He early learned the value of industry and determination as factors in the attainment of success and as the years have gone on his persistency of purpose has been one of the strong elements that has gained him place among the leading orchardists of Utah.

PROFESSOR JOHN W. WINTLE.

Professor John W. Wintle, a well known figure in educational circles in northern Utah, who for the past eleven years has been principal of the Lewis Junior high school at Ogden, was born in 1870 near the city in which he now resides, his parents being Joseph B. and Mary M. (Wilson) Wintle, the former a native of London, England, while the latter was born in Nauvoo, Hancock county, Illinois. In his boyhood Joseph B. Wintle became a resident of Utah and worked in Salt Lake City for Brigham Young, also making several trips across the plains to escort companies of emigrants to this state.  His parents journeyed westward to St. Louis, where the son met them and journeyed with them to Salt Lake. They settled at West Weber, where Mr. Wintle engaged in farming. In later years they removed to Bountiful, where he turned his attention to gardening. In 1860 Joseph B. Wintle was in the employ of the pony express company, carrying the mail from Fort Kearney to Cottonwood Springs on the South Platte river. He was the first man to bring to the west the news of Abraham Lincoln's election, covering the distance of one hundred and ten miles between Fort Kearney and Cottonwood Springs in five hours. Joseph B. Wintle engaged in farming in Hooper for several years and later took up the work of gardening at Wilson Lane. His business affairs were industriously and vigorously prosecuted and brought to him a fair measure of success.  He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and became a high priest. His demise occurred January 1, 1916, and by reason of the upright life which he had led death was the occasion of deep and widespread regret. 

Professor Wintle, whose name introduces this review, attended the public schools of Ogden and continued his education in the Weber Normal College, from which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1896. He then followed the profession of teaching for a number of years and in 1918 he was graduated from the State University.  He has proved to be an able educator, imparting readily and clearly to others the knowledge that he has acquired, and his professional standards are very high. For the past eleven years he has been principal of the Lewis junior high school of Ogden and has made valuable contribution to the work of the school. 

On the 5th of August, 1908, Mr. Wintle was married to Miss Daisy L. Stone, a daughter of Merlin J. and Marie (Baker) Stone, of Ogden, and to them has been born a daughter, Dorothy Louella. The family holds to the faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Mr. Wintle is a member of the Seventy. In 1898 he went abroad for missionary work in Germany, where he remained for two years. From pioneer times the name of Wintle has been associated with the development of Utah and the west.

While connected with the pony express Joseph B. Wintle was many times chased by Indians but always managed to make his escape. From that period to the present representatives of the Wintle family have borne their part in the work of general development and improvement in Utah and for a long period Professor Wintle of this review has been closely associated with the educational progress of the northern section of the state.

JOHN WOODFIELD.

John Woodfield is one of the venerable citizens of North Ogden, having passed the eighty-fifth milestone on life's journey. For many years he followed ranching in Utah but in recent years has lived retired, enjoying a rest which he has truly earned and richly merits. He was born in Warwickshire. England. March 28. 1834 a son of Thomas and Ann (Aston) Woodfield. He spent the period of his minority in his native land and in 1862 came to the United States. He at once made his way westward to Utah, for he had been converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and wished to join the people of his faith. He located at North Ogden, where he first secured employment as a farm hand, thus working for a year, but he felt that his experience fully justified him in engaging in business on his own account and for throe years thereafter he cultivated a rented farm. During this period he carefully saved his earnings until his industry and economy had brought him sufficient capital to enable him to purchase land, after which he engaged in farming for himself and also extended the scope of his activities to include stock raising. Year after year he carefully tilled his soil and cared for his herds and his industry and perseverance brought to him a comfortable competence.

He was also a director of the North Ogden Irrigation Company for twenty years and served as its president for several years, and in all public work he took a deep and helpful interest, lending his aid and support to many measures and movements for the general good. At one time he was also interested in the contracting business, having worked on building of the railroad when the eastern and western lines of the Union Pacific were connected.

In 1865 Mr. Woodfield was married to Miss Rachel Roylance, a daughter of William and Mary (Yarwood) Roylance. They became the parents of twelve children, of whom ten are still living. As a worker in the church Mr. Woodfield has exerted strong and beneficial influence and at the time of the building of the church edifice in North Ogden he contributed five hundred dollars to the work. His has been a quiet but active and useful life and he has never had occasion to regret his determination to come to the new world and join the people of his faith.

JAMES WOTHERSPOON.

James Wotherspoon. who has long been connected with mercantile and manufacturing interests in Ogden and whose entire life has been actuated by high ideals, was born in Millarston, Paisley, Scotland, on the 14th of June, 1856, a son of John M. and Agnes (Walker) Wotherspoon. He was a youth of eighteen years when on the 16th of July, 1874 he arrived in Ogden, Utah, with his parents. His father died a few months later, leaving him to provide for his mother and three younger members of the family, until his elder brother and sister arrived from Scotland a year later.

James Wotherspoon had made his initial step in the business world by securing employment in a grocery store in Scotland when hut eleven years of age and throughout the intervening period he has boon connected with mercantile and manufacturing interests. After reaching Ogden he engaged in clerking in a store for five years and then, having carefully saved his earnings until his industry and economy had brought him sufficient capital to embark in business on his own account, he established a general merchandise store in September, 1879, in connection with A. G. Fell, under the firm style of James Wotherspoon & Company. This undertaking proved a financial success and he continued actively therein until 1889. when he was called on a mission to Scotland, where he labored for two years. He sold his store before going to his native country and upon his return to Ogden in November. 1891, he again took up merchandising. In 1896 he became associated with the John Scowcroft & Sons Company as a salesman and was afterward made buyer and sales manager of the grocery department, remaining in that connection and as a stockholder of the business until 1908, when he purchased an Interest in the Shupe-William Candy Company, of which he became a director, secretary and sales manager. In that capacity he visited nearly all places of importance from the Missouri river to the Mexican line with the salesmen representing the house. Their business increased to such an extent that it was necessary to add fifty thousand dollars worth of improvements in 1919. Aside from his interest in the Shupe-Williams Candy Company Mr. Wotherspoon is also connected with the Lake View Mining Company as director and treasurer and Cedar Ridge Mining Company, and he has made for himself a prominent place in business circles. He has closely studied business conditions, the needs and opportunities of manufacturing life and has manifested the keenest interest in improving conditions for workmen.

On the 26th of October, 1883, Mr. Wotherspoon was united in marriage to Miss Elnora Farr, a daughter of Hon. Lorin and Nicoline (Erickson) Farr. Her father was Ogden's first mayor and was for many years a member of the Utah legislature. To Mr. and Mrs. Wotherspoon have been born the following children: Clyde, a daughter, who died in 1894; Birdie, the wife of Judge William H. Reeder. Jr.: Ruby, the wife of E. Grey Freemonde, an artist; James Bryan, who is now a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the southern states; and Glenna, Helen Shirley and Victor, who are at home.

Mr. Wotherspoon takes considerable pride in having erected the second real homemade house in Ogden, all of the doors, transoms, window sash, mop boards, iron railing and everything used in the construction of the house having been made in Ogden.  He realizes the fact that to build up a great state one must furnish the workingmen with employment, and to tills end Mr. Wotherspoon has done everything in his power to use Utah labor and its products and through a period of forty-five years he has not had a suit of clothes that has not been made for him by Utah tailors with the exception of only three.

Mr. Wotherspoon is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints and has been one of its active workers. He has held various positions in the church, among them being that of president of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association of the third ward in Ogden. For six years he was the first councilor to Bishop Barnard White of the same ward and afterward succeeded him as bishop, filling the office for seven years or until August 8, 1908, when Weber county was divided into three stakes and he was called to be president of the North Weber stake, which includes all wards in Weber county north of Twenty-fourth street and west of Washington avenue to the Boxelder county line on the north and the great Salt Lake on the west, also all of the state of Nevada east of the Humboldt range, including wards at Metropolis. McGill. Preston and Lund, with branches at Ruby Valley and Ely. The entire membership in these wards is sixty-nine hundred.

Mr. Wotherspoon has also taken a most active and helpful interest in the building up of Utah's manufacturing industries and has been honored with the presidency of the Western Confectioners' Association, which covers the territory from Nebraska to lower California. The purpose and duties of the association are to improve working conditions in manufacturing plants and to see that the most sanitary methods are adopted. One of Mr. Wotherspoon's standards is that of keeping politics, religion and business entirely separate in his life. He will not allow one to influence the other and thus he is kept free from all personal prejudice. Another guiding rule of his life is that of never doing himself, outside of his specific business interests, anything that he can find a cheaper man to do and thus he is continually furnishing employment to workmen who need it. His entire life has been actuated by a benevolent and helpful spirit and he is now serving as a member of the board of directors of the Thom. D. Dee Memorial Hospital and also of the Weber Normal College. He is likewise a member of the Weber Club and at all times he gives his aid and support to every project and measure which, he deems of worth in promoting the material, intellectual, social and moral welfare of community and state.

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